HC Deb 23 February 1989 vol 147 c741W
Mr. Battle

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his latest estimate of the comparative public sector revenue costs of housing homeless families in(a) Greater London and (b) in English non-metropolitan areas by (i) providing them with newly built council dwellings, (ii) providing them with council dwellings newly acquired from the private sector and improved for letting, and (iii) providing them with bed and breakfast accommodation; and if he will publish these figures on a comparable basis with those published in his replies to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith) on 16 January, Official Report, columns 331–32 and on 4 March 1987,Official Report, column 639.

Mr. Trippier

[holding answer 16 February 1989]: Estimates for 1987–88 are as follows:

Greater London

£

English metropolitan areas

£

New build 8,200 5,000
Acquisition and renovation 8,200 5,500
Bed and breakfast 40 15

Notes:

  1. 1 . The estimates for new build and for acquisition and renovation show the total first year costs to local authorities of the accommodation shown;
  2. 2. Estimates of average new build and renovation costs were derived from information provided by local authorities in housing subsidy and can show significant variation from authority to authority and year to year reflecting differences in the mix of work undertaken,
  3. 3. The bed and breakfast figures are gross costs per household day and are based on returns to CIPFA from those local authorities providing information on both gross expenditure on bed and breakfast and the number of household days of bed and breakfast provided.